The Cougar and the Cowboy

“Her registered name is Stargazer but we’ve shortened it to Star.”

After a moment she added, “You know I don’t believe that story about the bloodlines for a minute, don’t you?”

“What?!?” Cal feigned surprise. “You don’t believe me?”

Dani laughed at his expression. “No, I don’t but I’ll pretend I do. I’m eternally grateful to you and Lucy and Ben.” The tears welled up in her eyes. “I’ll never be able to repay you for this kindness.”

***

When Cal and Lucy were alone, she said, “You know, Honey…I was watching those two. They’re both tender hearted people, they love horses and they’re both very hard workers, obviously…”

She was cut off in mid-sentence. “Lucy, don’t even get started. We don’t know much about Jace and we’re not in the matchmaking business, ok?”

She smiled at him. “Okay, Calvin, but don’t be surprised if one day they decide they’re interested in each other. And y’know, with taking care of Luke for two weeks, they’ll be thrown together a lot.”

He shook his head and put his arm around her. “Go to sleep, my Love. We have an early breakfast, then a wedding to attend and then a long trip back to Texas.”

CHAPTER 16

THE FOUR OF them met for breakfast early the next morning. They discussed the possibility of taking an alternative route home to avoid the one traffic snarl they had run into the previous day.

“It really was the only traffic-related problem we had. There’s some heavy and continuous construction in one area and it becomes a ‘parking lot’ very quickly. It wasn’t good for Jasper to be in the heat with no breeze coming into the trailer when we were not moving for so long,” Jace explained. “I certainly don’t want to have Dani’s new mare in the same situation today.”

Cal and Jace pored over the route and chose what appeared to be a way around the construction. “You should be okay,” Cal told him. “You’ll be on two-lane highways for a while…maybe even a few hours. You’ll go through some smaller towns but that’s called the ‘scenic route’ and occasionally, it’s nice to see some countryside instead of whizzing by at seventy miles an hour. You’re starting this trek early enough that you should be home in

the early evening, even with the slower pace.”

“One more cup of coffee and then we’re out of here,” Dani stated.

“No more for me,” Lucy told the waitress as she placed her hand over the top of her cup. “I plan on going back to the room and sleeping for a few more hours…if you’re going to join me, Cal.”

He shook his head and smiled, “See what I have to put up with?” he said to no one in particular.

“I wish I had someone who cared that much for me,” Jace said. Then he realized how it sounded and his face turned red immediately. “I didn’t mean that the way it came out of my mouth, exactly.”

Lucy asked if he was married or ever had been. Cal nudged her knee under the table.

“You’ll have to forgive my wife, Jace. Subtlety isn’t one of her strong suits.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What? It was a simple question.”

Jace shook his head as he answered. “It’s quite alright and the answer is no, I have not been married. In the beginning, the rodeo was my life with no time for anything or anyone. After I could no longer pursue that, I changed my lifestyle, bought The Branding Iron and made a lucrative living being a guide for hunters and tourists. The old injuries came back to haunt me and I had to give that up, too. There’s never been time for a woman in my life, I guess.”

“Well, it sounds like it’s a good thing you have the bar and restaurant to keep you going but it also sounds to me like now you might have the time for a woman in your life,” Lucy commented.

Jace took a deep breath and continued, “I don’t know about that. The bar situation might change in the near future, but that story would keep us here until lunchtime, so I’ll just leave it there.”

“For what it’s worth, my friend, you should do two things: pray about any and all situations and find a good woman…” Cal wrapped his arms around Lucy and kissed her quickly. “The right one will make everything in your life seem better. I’m speaking from experience.”

They parted company with Jace getting behind the wheel for the first part of the trip.

“I don’t mind driving more hours, Jace,” Dani said hesitantly. “I know it must be uncomfortable and even painful for you to sit in one position for so long at a time. At least if you’re in the passenger seat, you can scrunch around until you’re more comfortable.”

He looked straight ahead. “I appreciate your concern but I can do my part of the driving just fine.”

“You don’t have to be so surly about it. I was only offering. If I was unable to do my part, I’m sure you would’ve made the same offer.”

‘Would you, Jace? Would you even think about someone else’s discomfort? Maybe not. What has happened to you? You used to be a really nice guy.’